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Stolen Thunder
Summary: Whilst the Autobot attack on New Crystal City distracts the Decepticons, a task force attempts to hijack Thunderwing's shuttle and steal the new shipment of Pretender shells. Preparation Landing Pad ''' ''The smell of heated tarmac hits you first as you survey the landing and liftoff point for all flights to Cybertron. The wreckage of previous battles here are off to the back in a jumbled heap. To the southeast is the massive form of Autobot City itself, a bit battle-scarred, but still operational. Surrounding you on all other sides are forests of large conifer trees. ''The spaceport absolutely sparkles with a new shine - in fact, it's almost blinding in direct sunlight. Spots are a thing of the past, and each building has a brand new coat of paint. Even the *scrap* piles look like they've been cleaned off and straightened up. Rodimus Prime says, "Blaster, encrypt this frequency." Blaster has encrypted this channel. Rodimus Prime says, "Thank you. Ultra Magnus, how are things looking from your end?" Blaster says, "You know guys, I've been thinking...whenever we talk about encypting the channel /on the channel/, it kind of gives everyone a hint that something is up. Just sayin'..." Military CO Grimlock says, "Me Grimlock think Ultra Magnus' end not so pretty." City Commander Ultra Magnus says, "Assembling a team for the assault now. Ship is prepped and ready for launch; all Autobots participating in the New Crystal City assault converge at the Autobot shuttle Golden Age." Military CO Grimlock says, "Assault? ME ASSAULT. Me good at assault! Dinobots good at assault! Snarl, you come assault?" Snarl says, "Me Snarl get der, when good 'n ready." Wheelie says, "Bringing the fight to Decepticon fort, this is Wheelie's for-duty report!" Rodimus Prime says, "Good. Blaster, is your team ready?" Military CO Grimlock says, "Wheelie! You no ride on Grimlock's head this time, understand?" Kup says, "Uh, anyone interested in taking along a crazy old mech?" Blaster says, "As ready as we're gonna get." Military CO Grimlock says, "Hah hah, Kup more older than dirt." Kup says, "Tell me another joke I've only heard a trillion more times." Military CO Grimlock says, "Old guy Kup, you be robot shield for weak robots." Rodimus Prime says, "You have permission to launch, then. I'll monitor your progress from here." Kup says, "Preeeecisely, Grimlock. So how far in front of you do you want me?" City Commander Ultra Magnus says, "Come along for the ride, Kup. There'll be plenty of action." Snarl says, "Why Roddy-moose no come! Him coward!" Kup says, "Sounds Good, Magnus." Military CO Grimlock says, "What? Roddymess Prime not come? Busy opolish gun?" Rodimus Prime says, "Something like that, Grimlock. You'll do just fine without me." Snarl says, "Always do fine, without you Roddy-moose." Kup says, "Because Prime's watching monitor on both missions in case one of them goes dorsal side up and he has to step in and save someone's neck." Military CO Grimlock says, "Me no have dorsal, me Dinobot! Of course me do fine!" Snarl says, "Dinobots need no saving, we greatest of all." Blaster sits down in the pilot's chair. "Everybody ready? Okay, here we go..." City Commander Ultra Magnus says, "Alright people, we'll be splitting into two teams when we arrive at New Crystal City. I'll be leading a team into the Docks; Grimlock, you lead a team to their Spaceport. Hit them hard and hit them fast." Snarl says, "You no tell me Snarl how fight!" Military CO Grimlock says, "Shut up Snarl, me like break spaceships." Snarl says, "Dat because you Grimlock always have head up in aft-space..." Hoist says, "Sir, I would humbly request to join you all." Military CO Grimlock says, "You like break spacesships too." Snarl says, "Me Snarl do, but when me Snarl want. Right now me Snarl want too!" Quickswitch says, "...And the reason for this?" En Route '''Deep Space - Galactic Plane You find yourself hanging in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, peering out into uncharted space. Coreward from here are the approaches to the Sol System, but in all other directions, nothing. The silence here is deafening, enough to drive one mad. In the far distance, a patch of even thicker darkness catches your attention... Sludge says, "Sludge... help." '''Autobot Shuttle Alpha Trion' The interior of the shuttle is very roomy. There is a highly technical cockpit that seats numerous bots at various stations, and a huge cargo area for additional troops or equipment. Snarl says, "Me Snarl want pie after dis fight!" Hoist says, "What flavor?" Sludge says, "Your Snarl... should eat... fish! Like... Dinobot!" Snarl says, "Me Snarl do eat fish, me just like pie toos." Sludge says, "That good." Snarl says, "Him Septi-con run from me Snarl!!" Outside, Decepticon Shuttle has just completed loading three mysterious cargo containers from the Decepticon factory on Nebulos. Once the transfer is complete, the deadly-looking shuttle wastes no time in powering up its thrusters and rapidly climbing back into orbit, angled attack surfaces piercing through layer after layer of green-white Nebulan clouds until it shoots free into the black vacuum. Sludge says, "Him smart." Snarl throws a tantrum! Snarl says, "Me Snarl want smoosh!" Sludge says, "You Snarl get chance!" Military CO Grimlock says, "You Dinobots, just be ready to bite metal." Paradigm sits back in his chair as he stares at the scanner screen. "These" he speaks, holding up several disk-like devices "are devices constructed from the data we recieved about the Decepticon armour. They are Trinomic Wedge Interface Neuron Knowledge devices. They should allow us to unlock any of the shell safety procedures. Theoretically" Wheelie has a tech stat that is under twenty. He stares at Paradigm with a smile and seems to be listening, but it's clear that his understanding of that retardedly long name is nil. He doesn't even get the acronymic joke. Outside, Sweepcraft "Revenant" flies alongside the Conquest II in his alternate form, maintaining his usual somber silence. It seems as though things are progressing smoothly, thus far, but he does not hold much confidence in it. He does not quite trust these shells, but if they will assist the Decepticon cause, then so be it. Outside, Decepticon Shuttle blazes across the vastness of space with all the familiarity of a Decepticon who doesn't need no stinkin spacecraft to get where he's going! An empty cargo hold at least makes him feel alot less like a floating nuke. He isn't quite to Nebulos yet, being late to the party...but he's already cutting into the system as he cuts off his FTL drives, winking back into a semblance of reality. Paradigm has over a hundred tech, so he is five times better than Wheelie or something. Though then again, everyone is five times better than Wheelie. "Any word yet from the others, Blaster? We don't want to strike too early" Blaster sends the Golden Age creeping along behind the Decepticon shuttle, just at the outskirts of sensor range. "Well...Rodimus and the others back on Earth should be able to monitor our sensor data. We're sending them an encrypted data dump every five minutes. Rodimus'll give us the final go-ahead." He pushes a few controls, enabling some airlock systems. Outside, From Decepticon Shuttle , Thunderwing's hands are wrapped around the controls of the Conquest, a smug smirk on his silvery features. His red optics glance to his sensor screen, then, as an alert chime goes off in the bridge. "What? What's this? Computer, magnify image." He stares at the viewscreen for a moment, his smirk slowly fading. "AUTOBOOOOOOOOOTS!" He slams his fist on the control panel, sparks spitting out from a crushed display as he throttles up the shuttle's engines, attempting to evade around to the other side of Nebulan orbit. Outside, Decepticon Shuttle glides in at the periphery of the Nebulon system, arcing in towards the planet Nebulos itself. Unaware of the drama about to take place, and more or less lost in his own thoughts. Which isn't hard. His own head is a place he loves to be. Maybe cause there's lots of room in there. Blaster suddenly sits up straight. "Get ready guys...I think they're on to us!" He increases speed and tries to catch up with the Decepticon shuttle. "Don't suppose any of us are space-capable? No? Guess we'll have to get in /real close/ then..." Yellowjacket smiles. "I'm sure any one of us is space-capable if we're thrown hard enough... in the right direction." He sits easily in his chair, not at all concerned about the incoming Decepticon assault. "You're sure you don't want to head a few more degrees starboard, Blaster?" "Not yet, anyway." Fireflight perks up at the prospect of action; the shuttle ride sounded interesting on its own, but it turns out there really aren't enough windows and no one seemed to want him sitting near the controls for some reason. Outside, Sweepcraft "Revenant" doesn't hear Thunderwing at first, but when the shuttle abruptly picks up speed and the order barks in his comm, he spins around as his scanners flare to life to pinpoint the shuttle's location. With a low growl, he rockets towards the shuttle as his 'headcannon' flares to life to pelt the shuttle's armor. Outside, Sweepcraft "Revenant" strikes you with laser for 6 points of damage. Wheelie had been tying a cord to himself in preparation for jumping out of the shuttle to try and space-walk across, but seeing that that's apparently not the plan, he stops. Then Revenant attacks! Oh no! Outside, Decepticon Shuttle is suddenly made aware that things are not so good, given the fact that his radio is suddenly FILLED with lots of screaming voices. "Ack! Doesn't anybody talk gentle-like anymore!?" he complains. Nevertheless, he puts more power to thrusters, rocketing past the outer planets of the system, the jewel of Nebulos now coming into view as he gets closer to the scene of the action. He finally taps into the local broadband, which no doubt Blaster can overhear real easily. "I'm here! Keep yer transistors on! I know how ta shoot Bots...." Paradigm jerks up at this. "Nnn, we need to hit them fast and quick, no time for reenforcements. Hole their shuttle Blaster, we can do the rest" Blaster flies the Alpha Trion right alongside the Decepticon shuttle, releasing the seals on the airlock. "You got it boys...get ready to board!" He fires a few rockets at the Conquest's various external hatches. Outside, You strike Decepticon Shuttle with Dramatic, Timely, Precise Rocket Attack!. Outside, Decepticon Shuttle is having trouble staying out of range of the Autobot shuttle, clearly maneuvering more sluggishly because it is laden with heavy cargo. It doesn't take long for the Alpha Trion to get within firing range, and those missiles collide against the side of the supposedly mighty Conquest, ripping its airlock wide open! "WARNING. WARNING. EXPLOSIVE DECOMPRESSION DETECTED..." Outside, From Decepticon Shuttle , Glaring at the viewscreen with fingers steepled, Fusillade hisses to herself. "Never been too good at flying these things myself, but I'm capable of flying in local space." She peers at Thunderwing, as if trying to gauge the tension in his blue and grey shoulders. "Your work is commendable, and..." The two-toned bomber scowls at the radio. "Are you SERIOUS? You just cut them off, as if nothing was..." She claps her mouth shut, and with weapons fire rattling the corridor, she stands. "I know how important they are to you. Do not leave me, and I will ensure that they're --" She's cut off, and with a screech of fingertalons on the wall, latches onto a bulkhead. "ARGH! Was that the cargo hold?!" Paradigm stands up, throwing a TWINK device to each of the Autobots present. "We get in, grab those shells and get out, no heroics, okay? No last stands, no dramatic battles, just /in/ and /out/." He smirks. "Unless you can get a killing shot" Outside, From Decepticon Shuttle , Thunderwing is slammed against the control console of the Conquest when the rockets strike, red lights flashing everywhere across his control panel. "ARGH!" "Certainly," Yellowjacket replies, unbuckling his restraints. He moves towards the airlock, glancing out the viewports as the Decepticon shuttle gets ripped open. He smiles, catching the TWINK disk... and disappears from view. His voice comes from an entirely different part of the ship. "Well then, shall we begin?" Hijacking '''Deep Space - Galactic Plane' You find yourself hanging in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, peering out into uncharted space. Coreward from here are the approaches to the Sol System, but in all other directions, nothing. The silence here is deafening, enough to drive one mad. In the far distance, a patch of even thicker darkness catches your attention... Sweepcraft "Revenant" spots the rockets slam into the shuttle and growls audibly. Well, if the Autobots wish to play... he charges towards the damaged shuttle and transforms, keeping a careful optic on the Autobot shuttle while preparing to attack. Decepticon Shuttle overshoots the two ships a moment later, a long trail left in his wake as he decelerates and banks back towards the scene itself. The undercarriage blasters of his form let loose with a steady *VIPVIPVIPVIP* as he stitches along the underside of the Autobot craft. But of course, it's fairly large...and while so is he, he's not exactly built with the sort of firepower for sustained interstellar combat. "I could be at this all freakin day..." He grumbles, circling back for another pass. From Autobot Shuttle , Wheelie is there -- and then gone, scrambling toward the collision site. Time to dig for victory, darlings. From Autobot Shuttle , Catching the TWINK in both hands, Fireflight examines it closely for a minute before realizing the others are starting to leave. "Oh, right. Yeah." TWINK and weapon in hand, Fireflight heads for the airlock to join the fray. From the airlock of the Autobot shuttle comes hurtling Paradigm, in the direction of the hole in the Decepticon shuttle. With no boosters to manuvere he is at the mercy of inertia as the pressure sucks him quickly to the edge of the Decepticon ship, where he manages to grab on firmly to the ragged edge of the hole, a sitting duck for the minute Rodimus Prime says, "Ultra Magnus, Blaster. Status reports." Yellowjacket, stealthy even in the vacuum of space, heads towards the Decepticon ship behind Paradigm and Fireflight. Go Go Robot Shields! Wheelie is in much the same position, hanging on to that cord he has been tying until he's in a position where he can let go and let the fundamental forces of the universe, like sexual attraction, pull him toward Paradigm. Gripping the bigger Autobot's foot, he mumbles a chipper rhyming apology -- (IN SPACE NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU APOLOGIZE) -- before trying to shift to get his own grip on the edge of the shuttle's wound. Also a sitting duck. For someone with jet engines visible in his robot mode, Fireflight really isn't any more graceful. The Aerialbot follows, scrabbling for a hold on the Decepticon ship, optics wide and taking in the view of the galaxy instead of on his target. Blaster says, "Operation Sneaky Weasel III proceeding as planned." City Commander Ultra Magnus says, "Our mission is going well so far, though we've managed to wake up -- er... ... Cuddles? The Decepticon's pet guardian." City Commander Ultra Magnus says, "Warpath, are you in need of assistance?" From Decepticon Shuttle ,Breaking into a jog, Fusillade skims to the next good hatch along the shuttle, distal to the worst of the damage. Clattering into the atrium, she pounds on the airlock, and with feet tapping impatiently, she waits for the seams to split, before leaping out into the void, gaze sharp as she looks for engine lights on the Sweep and Triplechanger -- as well as targets. Warpath says, "This beast has got spunk. Too bad it's playin for the other team!" Blaster says, "Which is our reconnasaince mission. On the /moon/." Warpath says, "And I only need help if you wanna take this thing out." Decepticon Shuttle sweeps back on another attack run. Spotting the Autobots as they make like pirates boarding a merchant vessel, he lines up a series of shots and opens fire again with the undercarriage lasers. That good old cartoonish blue light followed by the rapid fire *KRAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKA* follows in his wake as he rockets past again. Blue laser blasts impact all about the Autobots, though none strike them just yet....some even impact the Conquest itself. City Commander Ultra Magnus says, "I'll be at your location shortly. Just try to hold that... thing... off a little bit longer." Blaster says, "Think fast boys...Fusillade coming in for an attack run." Revenant snarls as he spots the Autobots gathering around the hole in the armor and, fortunately, seems to be heading right towards the shuttle. He lands right on the armoring and, after nearly burying one claw into the armor to stop his momentum, charges towards the group, fangs and claws bared. Using Astrotrain's laserfire to keep them distracted, he swipes at the nearest 'Bot towards him, hopefully to knock them off of the shuttle itself and back into space. Revenant misses Fireflight with his Claw Swipe attack. Snarl says, "Me Snarl smash him Galvtron!" Blaster sets the Alpha Trion on auto-pilot (programmed to maintain a safe, but boarding close distance from the Decepticon shuttle) and heads for the hatch himself. He magnetizes the bottoms of his feet and carries a small hand-grappling hook and what must be miles of cable looped around his shoulder...all the tools necessary to cover the intrepid Autobot boarding party. *no attacks...for now* A fulminant yellow-white flash illuminates the rear of the shuttle, before an arrowhead silhouette blots out the stars. Twisting upon itself, the gap grows larger as Fusillade's bomber form blurs down the alleyway created by the two shuttles. Coordinating with a few Decepticons, she banks wide, assessing the situation. One, two, three, now four targets resolve themselves. "UGH, so close to the shuttle. Gotta be careful..." She lines up for a second pass, and for all intents and purposes... looks like she is about to ram nose first into the Conquest II. However, a small microburst of rockets, and she pops up over the hull, the Decepticon Shuttle's mass whizzing past her -- but now, at this angle, they're practically standing in front of her -- and forward is a very different angle than down. Fusillade strikes you with Concussion CBUs for 7 points of damage. Fusillade unleashes her Concussion CBUs attack on Blaster, Wheelie, Paradigm and Fireflight, striking Fireflight, Blaster, Paradigm and Wheelie. Paradigm grunts as Yellowjacket latches onto his foot, as he tries to pull himself up the side of the depressurising Decepticon shuttle, his other hand reaching down to pull Yellowjacket up with a hard yank and hopefully throw him into the shuttle ahead of him. "No time to dawdle Yellowjacket" he grunts, taking out a laser as Fusillade's barage hits him "I'll join you in a minute." And he starts to shoot back with his now Yellowjacket-free hand You strike B-1B Lancer with disruptor. Yellowjacket salutes Paradigm, but is invisible. So, you know. Where'd that Sweep come from? Fireflight's navigational lights flash as a set of claws whizzes right past him, close enough to get his mind back on task... and just in time to get a better hold on the ship as Fusillade's bombs explode all around, singeing the Aerialbot but not knocking him from the ship as he scrambles to get inside before the bomber makes another run. As Paradigm calls him 'Yellowjacket,' Wheelie makes a little bit of a face, but thank god he's got a good grip on that hull -- because Fusillade's bombardment nearly launches him out into the void of space! As Paradigm fires back, Wheelie struggles valiantly to pull himself in, finally heaving himself over the threshold. Out of the infinite frying pan of space -- and into the fire of Thunderwing's heart. From Decepticon Shuttle , Yellowjacket stealthily slips aboard the Conquest II, gripping his TWINK disk and keeping low to the ground. His radio transponder goes silent. Decepticon Shuttle has had enough of blasting away at the Autobots ineffectively. He's not made for this Top Gun stuff afterall. Even as the Autobots begin to board the Decepticon shuttle, he moves to do likewise. Transforming at the last second as he hurtles down to the Conquest and... ...smears onto the windshield like a swatted bug. "....ow." Eventually, he manages to crab-walk his way towards a hatch to let himself in. From Decepticon Shuttle , The inside of the Conquest is dark... The main power lines damage for the moment, leaving only the red emergency lights in effect. The cargo hold is dominated by three massive, armored cryogenic cargo containers which no doubt hold the prize the Autobots seek. But suddenly there is a flash of movement... Thunderwing pulls Wheelie off of his feet, wrapping one arm around the minibot's neck in a headlock and floating over to the other side of the cargo hold. He presses his pistol against Wheelie's neck, sneering at the direction of the breach. "LEAVE NOW, AUTOBOTS! OR I EXTERMINATE THE CHILD!" Fusillade's exultant celebration of a 4 out of 4 gets, well, lost in the ether of jamming. Oh, cruel fate! As she soars past, she hnnns to herself as she watches the Autobots slide in. Well, at least she got a lick in, before they were to go face to face with Thunderwing. And then, she rocks as Paradigm's shots sear into her left wing fairing. Despite that, she chatters out on radio, "YEAH! Go get 'em, Astrotrain. Hey, uh, Sweep? I think your quarry just went inside. I'll stick out here a bit longer and deal with the guy that's actually fighting back..." Moving on to unfinished business, she transforms to robot mode, and raising a scorched arm, radios, "Oh, by all means, let me return the favor..." You evade Fusillade's Low Output Shot attack. Paradigm growls as Fusillade starts to shoot back. "We're not here for a fight, remember!" he radios to his collegues. "And this is more important than any one person, remember that!" And with that, he too pulls himself into the hole in the shuttle, gun at the ready '''Decepticon Shuttle ' The interior of the shuttle is very roomy. There is a highly technical cockpit that seats numerous bots at various stations, and a huge cargo area for additional troops or equipment. Outside, Revenant immediately transforms back to Sweepcraft form as his claws swipe air and no actual armor and he ends up spiraling away from the Conquest II. A pity... but he is not completely used to space combat, at least in robot mode. Problem is, the jamming messes with his sensitive sensors so badly that he has to switch them off--and the massive 'headache' that ensues just makes him that much angrier. He circles back around to rejoin the fight and snarls as he spots the last of the Autobots disappear inside. "Acknowledged," he growls over the comm before making a bee-line for the hole in the side of the shuttle, transforming back to robot mode as soon as his trajectory's set, and he disappearsinto the shuttle. Wheelie struggles, but cries, "Put me abouve the mission not -- don't blow it for one Autobot!" Yellowjacket pauses, looking back as Thunderwing takes Wheelie hostage. After a long moment, he invisibly stealthily shrugs and makes his way over to the cryogenic containers. The minibot commando takes this time to examine the containers, looking for a way to get inside. Outside, Blaster pulls out his pistol and sights down the sniper scope attached to the top, drawing a bead on the hole through which the Autobot commando team disappeared into the Conquest II. Fireflight looks indecisively full into Thunderwing"s optics _ and hoping those optics stay on him and not on the other Autobots in the ship Thunderwing backs up against the cargo containers, his optics glowing fiercely in the dim light. He jabs his gun against Wheelie's temple, tightening his grip and looking around furtively. "I... I know you are there, AUTOBOTS! ANSWER ME OR YOUR YOUNGLING DIES!" Astrotrain makes his way into the shuttle, in the undersection of the fuselage. Landing down in the hangar with a heavy *CLANK*, he crouches and draws his rifle at the ready, glaring left, then right. "Heeeere botbotbotboooots.." He catcalls, stepping into the turbolift to take him up to the main cargo area where everyone else is gathering. Revenant flies into the shuttle and banks to kill momentum, wings flaring as he hovers near the ceiling and studies the Autobots in here. One is a prisoner, another apparently frozen, and the others... he cannot tell where they are. His wings flex as he seems to almost sniff the air, then he begins flying around to try to find the ones that he cannot immediately see with his own optics. "Sadly, I don't really /care/" comes the voice of Paradigm as he swings down into the room from the gaping hole, his cylindrical blaster already out as he fires at Thunderwing. He doesn't stop to aim, he doesn't stop to try to shoot past Wheelie, he just shoots with one goal in mind - get Thunderwing. Wheelie can go sort himself out to be honest. The black and silver Autobot moves towards Thunderwing. "GO!" he shouts out loud, angry now. You strike Thunderwing with pistol. You strike Wheelie with pistol. The shot passes through Wheelie's shoulder on its way through Thunderwing. Hissing with pain but kicking himself free, Wheelie grabs his shoulder, TWINK device held with his bad arm. "I don't mind a liberty or two," he rhymes as he scampers away, "but that was too much fun for you!" As Paradigm makes his move, so does Fireflight - running for the other side of the cargo container Thunderwing backed himself against, looking for a place to apply the TWINK and wondering if the Decepticon was protecting this one in particular. Yellowjacket continues to fiddle with the control panel on the cryogenic chambers... and suddenly, they pop open with a HSSSSSSS! The minibot smiles, dropping his stealth act and throwing the TWINK disc straight into the nearest chamber. "Fireflight! In here!" he calls to the Aerialbot. Then he begins to fire disruptor blasts from his palms, just to add to the chaos and confusion inside the shuttle. "Think fast, Decepticons." Outside, Watching all the Autobots pile into the cargo bay, Fusillade hmms. .oO( Well, that was kinda dumb. They're flanked now, with Revenant in the hall... oh, what's this?) It's at this point that her saffron optics narrow behind her amber visor as she spies the dash of Blaster's scarlet form. Crouching forward, she throttles her booster packs to life, surging forward before stopping short. Her momentum has stopped, but that of her weapons has not. Raising one wrist gauntlet, wingblades in hand, she palms one segment loose. The frictionless cold of space doesn't resist its passage, and with not one whit of tremor in its flight path, the machete-sized metal sliver sails for Blaster's helm. Outside, Fusillade strikes Blaster with Accelerated Wingblade Segment. Paradigm says, "I made the device as easy to use as you can. Stick it on the armor, hit the button. It will launch a tiny emp designed to override the security protocols" Astrotrain comes up on the main level with a heavy *TOOM* of the lift locking into place. "FINALLY!" he exclaims, spotting shots being fired, and Autobot bodies nearby. ALthough they're still upright and not laying down as he would prefer. "C'mon Autoscrap, yer time's up! May as well just give up cause I"m here now!" He tilts his rifle down and points it suddenly in Fireflight's direction. "On second thought, don't bother! I want this to be fun!" Astrotrain strikes Fireflight with Pewpewpew!. Thunderwing's optics go wide with surprise as Paradigm acts more ruthlessly than any Autobot Thunderwing has ever encountered before, leaving a smoldering pockmark in his Decepticon emblem and knocking him to the side, his pistol dropping to the ground. "You... you fools! You will not steal the fruits of my GENIUS" He jumps for his weapon, picking it up with both hands and aiming it at the Autobot who has cracked open the secure cargo containers. Pulling the trigger, he unleashes a powerful cyclone that pushes away the cryogenic mist violently -- and hopefully Yellowjacket along with it! Thunderwing strikes Yellowjacket with Cyclone Cannon. Revenant growls and eyes the yellow and black Autobot as he seems to appear out of nowhere, but it seems that Thunderwing is dealing with him. Still, his senses target the smallest 'Bot of the group and he swoops down towards Wheelie, both talons ready to slash. The fewer Autobots up and moving, the better... no matter just how small they are. Revenant misses Wheelie with his Double Claw Strike attack. Outside, Blaster flinches belatedly at Fusillade's attack - which neatly slices off one of the ear-like projections on the top of his head. Optics wide, Blaster reaches up with one hand to feel around for the missing 'ear'. The other hand swings his pistol around to point at Fusillade without looking. Holding it sideways, he squeezes off a quick shot. Maybe the Deceptifemme's close enough that even an unaimed shot will hit...and if not, Blaster can still hope that the attack will put her on the defensive long enough for him to think of something else. Outside, Blaster strikes Fusillade with his electro-scrambler attack. Suddenly dropping to the floor when he sees Revenant leap out of nowhere to pounce, Wheelie slides through the Sweep's legs and takes off in a /sprint/, heaving toward Yellowjacket and Fireflight as he pulls some of his slingshot ammo out of subspace. Because when faced with a Sweep and in a hurry, sometimes it's best to just huck a big ball bearing at them and hope it buys you a second or two. Wheelie strikes Revenant with Ball Blutch. Paradigm meanwhile is running in the opposite direction, straight for Thunderwing. "Oh no you don't!" he cries. "I believe I could make more from a handful of dirt than you could in your entire lifetime. Now DOWN on the floor!" And with that, he draws back to aim to /headbutt/ Thunderwing You strike Thunderwing with Head-butt. "Agh!" Yellowjacket exclaims, as Thunderwing's cyclone flings him into the bulkhead repeatedly. "Argh! Ack! Ow!" Clang. Clang. Clang. Finally, the whirlwind abates, and Yellowjackets falls to his hands and knees. He puts a hand to his head. "Ugh. Talk about reaping the whirlwind," he mutters. But, moving quickly, he scampers to the cryogenic chamber, hauls open the cover... and gasps. "It's some kind of eagle!" he murmurs. Sadly, there's no time for awe. He tips a nod to Paradigm for the cover, and starts pressing on the transorganic shell's chest until it opens. The diminutive demolitionist pulls himself inside the sticky, bloody mess... and emerges from the cryogenic chamber in the pilfered armor! "Decepticons! IT IS OVER! SKAAAAWWW!" HSSSSS! Fireflight smiles as the thing finally opens, oblivious to Astrotrain lining up a shot at his back. As he moves to toss in the TWINK, the laser ends up grazing one wing instead of the more lethal result Astrotrain probably intended - and the device still finds its mark as Fireflight scrambles out of the way of Wheelie and anyone pursuing him. Blaster says, "Everything going okay in there? Just about every 'Con went in there after you guys." "Hey...hey!" Astrotrain calls out, shifting amidst the chaos to try and get a clear shot once more. Though right about then is when Yellowjacket pops into one of the pretender shells and it seals up around him, prompting the triplechanger to blink in surprise and take a half step back, pointing his rifle in the direction of this new development. "...what the frag? It looks like a giant meatbag!" Thunderwing once again has his weapon knocked from his hand by Paradigm, the Autobot's headbutt knocking Thunderwing onto his side with a metallic clang of metal clashing against metal. "NO! NO! NO!" He howls as he sees Yellowjacket successfully shelljack the eagle armor, snarling and scissoring his legs on the ground, attempting to trip Paradigm while simultaneously flipping himself to his feet. "STOP THEM! STOP THEM YOU FOOLS!" He shouts, in his way of asking for help from his fellow Decepticons. Thunderwing strikes you with Trip for 10 points of damage. Revenant growls as Wheelie scurries away, and barely flickers an optic as something pings off of his armor. He brings his rifle out of subspace and fires a shot at Wheelie's back, soaring back around at Thunderwing's shout. /By the Chaos-Bringer.../ Revenant misses Wheelie with his laser attack. Outside, Fusillade presses the attack, closing range as Blaster looks toward the shorn headpiece. However, she's not quick enough raise her half-sreap weapon to deflect the incoming shot. A silent shudder rocks through her as servos and actuators seize up, and the bomber begins to hover to the left of the ship's hull. *no attack!* Yellowjacket says, "Target acquired, Blaster." City Commander Ultra Magnus says, "Kup, how are you holding up?" Paradigm trips then rolls, turning to grab a metal pole in the cargo bay and /spear/ it at Thunderwing's chest. "The only person being stopped today is /you/" he growls, jerking the pole. And then he looks towards his comrades. "Hurry /up/ we don't have much time at all!" Thunderwing evades your Metal Pole attack. Blaster says, "Roger. Unfortunately, we ain't got time for a field test. Bring those things back over here and get on board...before this psycho-femme cuts off my other ear!" Outside, Blaster watches Fusillade for a moment to make sure she isn't going to disembowel him with that machete-blade. Then he turns to the Decepticon shuttle and loads his miniature grappling hook into his pistol. He points and fires...the grapple sails across space at the Conquest II, trailing a cable. "YES!" The Eagle armor counters, smashing its way out of the glass chamber. "/Yes/, Decepticon." It steps forward, a little unsteadily. "You've certainly created quite a weapon here. Too bad you just got served, Autobot-style." Two feathery arms come out to its sides, then THRUST back inwards, crossing over... and a whirlwind of its own tears through the shuttle, towards Thunderwing. "Let's see what this thing can do." Eagle Armor strikes Thunderwing with Whirlwind Cyclone!. As Revenant shoots, Wheelie jumps -- RIGHT INTO THE OPEN PRETENDER ARMOR. Giving Fireflight a mid-air thumbs-up, he giggles as it closes. "Inside Wheelie feels all nasty and gooey -- but Cons, get ready to go kablooey!" As the Shark Armor steps forward, Wheelie safely within, it emits another long, boyish giggle. Fireflight shudders upon seeing the shape of the thing he's just helped unleash. "That thing looks like a Sharkticon." A Sharkticon that giggles like Wheelie, even. Fireflight averts his gaze from the thing and starts spraying fire to clear a path back to their ride home. Astrotrain watches as the first of the hijacked Pretender shells proceeds to tear into Thunderwing. And despite it all, the triplechanger can't help but find amusement in the irony. "Haw haw haw! Looks like yer toy works pretty good, genius!" Nevertheless he steps back to give it a wide berth, cautious as he continues to try and get a clear shot at the Aerialbot. "Hey, shorty!" He catcalls in Fireflight's direction a moment later, suddenly ducking low under a hail of fire and coming up on the gestalt member. The big triplechanger lunging in with a big foot at Fireflight's midriff as he quite literally tries to kick him across the cargo bay in a show of brute force. "Heads up!" Astrotrain strikes Fireflight with kick. Blaster says, "Guys...sounds like the crew back on Earth have bought us as much time as they can. Time to vamoose!" Paradigm says, "There's one more shell. I'm going to go for it" Revenant growls softly as his prey disappears into the shark-like shell, but shakes his head as he realizes the full extent of the situation. The Autobots now have two shells--and Thunderwing is likely less than happy. He snarls in frustration and fires his head-cannon at Paradigm, just to vent his frustration at /something/ for this apparent debacle. Revenant strikes you with Headcannon Gatling for 7 points of damage. Wheelie says, "This shell gives Wheelie so much power, like I could light our darkest hour!" Wheelie giggles. Thunderwing is literally blown off his feet by the flapping of the Eagle Armor's wings, throwing him across the cargo hold and smashing him into the bulkhead with a resounding clang. "No... NO!!" He howls in anger and despair, pushing off the wall and getting back to his feet. "YOU CANNOT HAVE THEM!!" He rushes straight towards the Eagle Shell, perhaps suicidally... But then again, if anyone knows its weakness, it is Thunderwing. Jumping up in front of it, he raises one hand, aiming with unerring precision for the seam in the Pretender shell -- and striking it with all his might!! "I WILL TEAR YOU OUT AND DESTROY YOU, AUTOBOT!! Thunderwing strikes Eagle Armor with Metallikato Chop. Rodimus Prime says, "Good work, team, but don't get cocky. No celebrating until you're back in Autobot City." Outside, In all likelihood, the flier has bitten off more than she can chew. That's not going to deter Fusillade, however, as she knows full well that the Autobots are going to try to abscond with the damaged ship's cargo. Blaster appears to be their way out, so she keeps on him -- once the stun wears off. With a silent rictus snarl of indignatn rage, she tremors back to functionality. Getting her bearings, she backtracks to the Autobot communications officer. This time, he does't get a single piece, he gets both. Spinning with both of the razor-edged weapons close to her form, she then slings them both out toward his chest in a double backhand that would do a lumberjack proud. Outside, Fusillade misses Blaster with her Dervish Juggle attack. Paradigm leaps to the side as Thunderwing dives to the shell as everything goes a bit mad, staggering slightly from Revenant's attack. But he doesn't shoot back at the Sweep, instead taking his disk and leaping to the last shell, slamming it on the front as it's electronic pulse undecrypts the internal systems. And then as everyone is distracted by Yellowjacket, he slips into the Lion Armor, suiting up. "Autobots!" he barks. "We're done, lets get /out/ of here" "SQUAAAAWRK!" The shell emits as Thunderwing strikes it, chest splitting open ever so slightly. Yellowjacket frowns, jerking the suit back out of range, and glancing around. The wall is still open. Of course. One taloned hand clutching its partially-open chest, the armor lurches towards the gaping wound in the bulkhead... and LEAPS towards the opening! Wings spread, he soars into space, antigrav unit shoving him towards the Autobot shuttle. The Shark Armor, giggling like a fourth-grader who was just told about a really, really funny fart joke from the movie 'Beverly Hills Ninja,' lumbers out of the rear hold, staggering a bit but quickly acclimating itself to the act of walking -- this is where Wheelie's lack of technological ability is hurting him, but luckily, it's all intuitive so far. Rather than try and trigger the weapons systems, he instead calls, "Earlier Wheelie you tried to paste," at Revenant, "now let's give you your own taste!" He giggles as a /massive/ arm swings toward the sweep, open-handed. Shark Armor strikes Revenant with Shark Slap. Sent flying clear across the cargo hold, Fireflight hits the far wall with a SMACK. The Aerialbot pulls himself out of the indentation with a grin, realizing the Decepticons now will have to look at his likeness after he's gone... well, until they bang out that wall, which they'll probably do with enthusiasm. "What? All right, I'm coming!" He transforms in response to Paradigm's yell and zooms back toward the Autobot shuttle. Outside, Blaster has been nervously keeping an optic on Fusillade all this time, so this time he's a little more prepared for her. Still magnetically attached to the Alpha Trion's hull, he manages to lean back far enough so that the blades pass by in front of him. Then he jerks himself forward, but can't quite reach fusillade. Frowning, he gathers up the extra cable from his grappling line (the other end still connected to his grapple, embedded in the side of the Conquest II) and throws it at Fusillade, hoping some part will loop around her. Outside, Blaster succeeds in grasping Fusillade, throwing her off-balance. Outside, Blaster starts to reel Fusillade in closer, and can't help but shout "get over here!" When she's close enough, he swings a quick jab at her. Outside, Blaster strikes Fusillade with punch. Astrotrain leaps back again as the Pretenders start shooting or moving their way out. He takes a few more shots at Fireflight's form as he transforms to make good his escape, but doesn't succeed in doing much more other than blackening the nearby landscape. A few shots are even levelled at the pretenders as they withdraw but, not bloody likely he's gonna have the firepower to stop them quickly. A few moments of silence falls then, as he calmly removes his spent energy clip and replaces it with another, finally looking over in Thunderwing's direction. "The boss is gonna be soooo mad." And yeah, he's almost grinning from audial to audial. Outside, The Eagle armor soars out of the Decepticon shuttle, trying to fight its way towards Autobot shuttle. It's space, so it doesn't say anything. City Commander Ultra Magnus says, "Blaster -- anyone on the interception mission! Do you have the Shells?" Thunderwing snarls as the armor of his own design proves too difficult to crack open with just one karate chop, somersaulting over the top of it and landing on his feet. He sneers at Astrotrain, "Do /not/ mock me, triplechanger! If they escape, YOU will share my punishment for FAILURE!" He then does a running leap at the Lion Armor, a vibroblade popping out of his forearm. Thunderwing strikes Shark Armor with Wrist Blades. Yellowjacket says, "Of course we do, Ultra Magnus. What do you take us for?" Outside, The frustrating sensation of emptiness greets the bristling edges of Fusillade's weapons. A snag, and constriction later, she's hauled over to Blaster's proximity, and gifted with a hammering jab to the face. With an aerosolized spray of fluids, her cheekguard and visor shatter. In a staticky burst of close-quarters radio laden with feedback, Fusillade responds. "I'll oblige. And oh, death is the only way out." Regrettably for Blaster, the chest missiles also come with that cheesy Cyrax line from the movie. Outside, Fusillade strikes Blaster with Cuban Missile Crisis. Revenant doesn't even see the Shark Armor's arm swinging towards him until he gets SLAMMED into the wall face-first. He remains partially buried in the wall for a second before he starts peeling himself out of the wall. He snarls, low and loudly, as he glares after the Pretenders making their escape. He's not a happy Sweep, oh no... City Commander Ultra Magnus says, "Of course, what was I -- gah! -- thinking? Kup, Grimlock -- pull out! Our mission is done here!" Paradigm is not one for hanging about, and he too joins Yellowjacket in making his escape, running and leaping out of the handy hole in the shuttle, the boosters on the Lion Armor carrying him into the cold depths of space. "Blaster!" he radios. "Pickup. NOW!" Escape '''Deep Space - Galactic Plane' You find yourself hanging in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, peering out into uncharted space. Coreward from here are the approaches to the Sol System, but in all other directions, nothing. The silence here is deafening, enough to drive one mad. In the far distance, a patch of even thicker darkness catches your attention... From Decepticon Shuttle , Stabbed but unbowed, the Street Shark shakes Thunderwing off of him, his clumsy lumbering actually proving useful as he swings his body around like a spastic. "Thanks for the shell, don't be a hater -- Wheelie will see you Con jerks later!" He giggles madly and tramples his way out with the others. Blaster is rocked back savagely, his magnetized feet the only thing that keeps him from being sent flying off into space. He coughs a few times, puffs of smoke come out. "Nice one." He finally mutters. He manipulates up the coils of cable again, looping it a few more times around Fusillade, trying to get some of it around her neck. Then he seizes a grip on either side and yanks as hard as he can. Blaster strikes Fusillade with cyber-garrote. F-4 Phantom II floats across the space from one shuttle to the other with the same awkward effort as on the way in. Except this time, one of his wings occasionally emits a spark or two, and somehow an O-ring and a small length of rubber hose get left in his wake. From Decepticon Shuttle , "Like smeg I will." Astrotrain states with a genuine bit of snarl in his voice as he looks back towards Thunderwing. Nevertheless, a moment later he is bailing out one of the open hatches into space again in a halfhearted pursuit. He knows where this is going. He's been at this sort of thing long enough. From Decepticon Shuttle , Thunderwing rebounds off of the Shark Armor, the giant creature's powerful movements shoving Thunderwing into a bulkhead forcefully. His optics smolder with rage and desperation, now, as he scrambles towards the shuttle's bridge, his mouth hanging agape with the horror of his prize shells being plucked from his grasp. Pulling down the shuttle's periscope, he grips it with mouth hands, flipping off the safety for the ship's weapon systems. Hull sections retract and turrets rise up from the Conquest's side, swiveling back and forth before locking onto the retreating Pretender shells. "From the Pit's /Depths/, I stab at thee, Autobot!" He snarls, squeezing the periscope's triggers and unleashing a volley of explosive rounds from the mass cannon turrets. Decepticon Shuttle strikes Lion Armor with Main Guns. Lion Armor is deactivated under the fierce barrage of attacks. The larger mech is at a distinct advantage, and even all the best in barroom brawl training to jab elbow blades back into codpieces isn't enough to keep Fusillade's neck from being partially severed. URK. Fusillade's optics go dark as her sensor packages for robot mode go dead, the last images being of the Conquest bearing down on the Autobot shuttle -- where she is situated. In a panic, she transforms, using her alt mode's sensor systems to provide visuals of the ensuing battle. Paradigm is unlucky, in that the total barrage of the shuttle's firing hits his armour, shielding the others as it buckles and crumples under the onslaught, the surface rippling in explosions as the boosters cut out, leaving him cracked and drifting. " he radios across. " transforms as soon as he's out of the Conquest once more. A quick blast of vermillion thrusterfire has him bearing down on the disabled pretender shell and the other one as Wheelie moves to pick it up. "Oh no ya don't, ya little pipsqueak!" He shouts out, undercarriage lasers lighting up space with brilliant red laserfire. All show and no real punch though. Astrotrain strikes Shark Armor with Undercarriage lasers. Fireflight transforms as he reaches the Alpha Trion, grabbing hold to swing himself into the airlock - his flight path from the Decepticon shuttle having been a little off. Maybe he should ask about upgrading his engines for space capability when they get home? First, though, he gets inside, away from Astrotrain's lasers and probably another round of bombings any millicycle now. The shattered Lion Armor of Paradigm is now at the mercy of /Wheelie/ of all people, as the armoured minibot grabs him and pulls him to the shuttle Thunderwing emerges from the hole in the Conquest's side -- clearly not looking too happy about having to do so -- and leaping out, transforming into his more spaceworthy form. Engines flaring, he accelerates towards the Shark Armor. Missiles detach from underneath his stubby blue wings, their own engines flaring as they spiral and corkscrew, converging in on the Shark Armor. Thunderwing strikes Shark Armor with missile. Dipping one slender wing from habit, and not necessity, Fusillade arcs between the two shuttles, bearing down on the shark-based suit that Astrotrain had focused upon. After scrolling through several menus, she settles on the souped-up disruptor blast, and then opens up on the part of the suit that looks the most pressurized. "Let's see how well the organic parts of these things handle being ruptured in a vacuum...." and follows Thunderwing's reluctant attack with her own more zealous, supercharged disruptor strike. Fusillade strikes Shark Armor with Lambaste. Street Shark, carrying the battered Lion Armor on its shoulders, handles getting its organic parts ruptured surprisingly well. Blood (?) sprays out of the organic pieces being torn to shreds, floating formlessly into the ether... no doubt attracting SPACE SHARKS who might get into a SPACE FEEDING FRENZY. Still, despite the bombardment making it a shaky trip, Wheelie is able to get into the shuttle, slamming the Lion Armor on the ground (he can't use the shell with any grace or finesse, sadface) and pushing himself free of his Pretender-trap to scramble to co-pilot the shuttle as Blaster does something else. "We've got what we came for and that's quite a lot, so now it's time the hell out of here we got!" '''Autobot Shuttle ' The interior of the shuttle is very roomy. There is a highly technical cockpit that seats numerous bots at various stations, and a huge cargo area for additional troops or equipment. Outside, Decepticon Shuttle watches as the autobots get aboard their shuttle, even firing a few halfhearted shots at the engines of the craft as it gets underway. But, as he said earlier...he hasn't got the firepower to stop the thing, and it's little more than a futile gesture. With a final grunt, he finally breaks off the pursuit and banks back towards the others, his undercarriage weapon ports still glowing from the cooldown. "Well that's that." He states matter of factly. Outside, B-1B Lancer strikes you with Wing Whallop for 8 points of damage. Inside his suit, Paradigm struggles to pull himself out of it. "Wheelie!" he grasps, choking for breath (or the Transformerly equivilant). "Get us out of here before he turns the main guns on us. There's no time to be sassy!" "If you say so, it's your time," Wheelie says, kicking the FTL engines online and getting ready to take off at /88 MILES PER HOUR/. "But here it's always sassy time!" He giggles and they're gone. Outside, Autobot Shuttle begins retreating, leaving itself vulnerable to parting shots from Thunderjet, Decepticon Shuttle , B-1B Lancer, Decepticon Shuttle . Outside, "I think I'm going to need a vacation to the weapons black market on Monacus after all this screaming is done, Astrotrain. Lemme know if you want to come along. Bolts, bring Blitzwing along if you wanna." Fusillade sends after Astrotrain, before ever so slowly swinging her nosecone in Thunderwing's direction. Some part of her wanted to remind him that he had the information and plans... surely it couldn't be that bad? But how to get that across to an angry scientist mourning the loss of his brain children? She remains silent. Probably not a good choice, either. Outside, Thunderjet -freaks out- when he sees the Autobot shuttle's engines warming up for an FTL jump. "COWARDS! PRESS THE ATTACK! DIIIIIIIIIIIE!" Outside, Thunderjet strikes you with Plasma Blaster Freak-Out for 17 points of damage. Outside, Decepticon Shuttle flies straight and level for a few moments, watching as Thunderwing goes all freakout on the Autobot shuttle. He's taken his shots, and barely scratched the thing to put it likely. Far as he's concerned, he's done. "I could reeeeallly use a drink this time." He grunts finally, waiting for the last of Thunderwing's scream to die down before finally calling out. "So you comin, Genius or am I flyin the rest of us back myself!? Doesn't matter to me either way!" Wheelie says, "Hope you guys are sittin' pretty -- these Shells are en route to the city!" Paradigm says, "Team Sneaky Weasel III has successfully escaped all pursuit" Wheelie giggles a /lot/. '''Laboratory' Lab equipment fills this room: equipment hanging from the ceiling, sitting on the benches lining the walls, and on the table in the middle. Also on the table in the middle is a terminal connecting to the main computer of Autobot City. Assorted projects lie scattered about amongst tools and other miscellaneous objects that you can't identify. ''Over in the North East corner of the lab sits a large security coded vault, where all the discoveries deemed too dangerous or too sensitive for general release are stored. While to the North West corner resides one of the Lab's more recent additions. The experimental Cold Fusion Reactor that drives Metroplex's faster than light systems. A number of monitors and display readouts are connected around the reactor, technicians constantly checking the experimental device. The Eagle Armor walks majestically through the door, reeking of FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY. A few moments later, this impression is shattered as it splits open in a disgusting display of leaking transorganic gore. Yellowjacket climbs out, looking remarkably clean for a guy who was just in a giant dude's torso. Paradigm is sitting collapsed in a chair, looking much the worse for wear as he grins at Yellowjacket. "Quite an experience, isn't it?" he mutters Into the room trots Whirligig. Her first stop, however, isn't the strange suits. Oh no. This is something /much/ more important. She goes over to talk to the techs that are continually checking the readouts on the cold fusion generator. She's instinctive. She wants to make sure it's all okay. "I don't like some of these readouts... here, readjust these wires here... and then these here. Okay?" She nods, then looks over at the others. "Okay." Yellowjacket perches on a lab table and gives a low chuckles. "Those things have... such power. I never imagined I'd be wielding that kind of firepower in my life." Whirligig looks at the suits curiously. "Well, I'll run a battery of tests... I want to make sure these things won't have any adverse affects on the mech sinside of them..." Wheelie is sitting on the Shark Armor's head, smoking a cigar. An /energon/ cigar. With glowing pink smoke. He holds one down Whirligig's way by way of offering. Paradigm nods at Whirligig. "Yes, quite, we all want that. But we do it together. And especially not without me, I believe the construction of these suits was by a genius more in my range, no offense meant." Yellowjacket shakes his head. Oh that Paradigm. Crossing his legs under him, he places his hands on his knees and goes into thinkin' mode. Report '''Hijack - Paradigm' Paradigm appears on the screen, sitting down looking rather dented and ragged. "Autobots, I am glad to hear that your attack went according to plan. While the Decepticons were engaged in defending their city, a task force comprised of myself, Blaster, Fireflight, Wheelie and Yellowjacket hijacked a Decepticon shuttle that was carrying more of the Decepticon's new exo-armour shells. And well..." He grins, and the view of the laboratory becomes clearer, showing three shells in the background, all human-looking, with armour that resembles a shark, a lion and an eagle. "The shuttle was heavily defended, by the Decepticon we now know as Thunderwing, Fusillade, Revenant and Astrotrain. Unfortunately the Lion armour was hit by a barrage of energy bolts by the Decepticon shuttle, and badly damaged in the escape. I will be conducting an autopsy of the shell tomorrow. Until then, I do not want to see any more Autobots using the shells. They must be fully checked out by a team of scientists to remove any devices, traps or nasty surprises, and we need to discover what the effect of them is on the individual." I fully expect to see Perceptor about tomorrow since it is impossible to keep him away from anything slightly interesting. If anyone else wishes to be present for the examination, it will begin in full tomorrow afternoon. That is all." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------